Category: Marketing

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Marketing Electives: Advertising

Marketing majors have the option to take different electives that apply toward your degree. There are core marketing classes that everyone must take, and there are others that you can choose from, which are “marketing major electives.” I like having the option between different courses because I can choose to take electives that I am interested in learning more about. This semester, I chose to take an advertising course taught by Dr. Scott Powell. I have taken every one of Dr. Powell’s classes because he is an incredibly intelligent marketing professor and I learn a ton about marketing from his classes. Dr. Powell’s classes are wonderful and I highly recommend his courses, especially if you are a marketing major.

Last year, I began thinking about a possible career in advertising. Advertising has always been interesting to me, but I had no idea what kind of career I could go into with it. I signed up for this course because I wanted to learn about advertising more so that I knew if it was a career of possible interest for me. As all of Dr. Powell’s classes are, this course is phenomenal and very relevant.

My favorite part of this course is that we spend a ton of time watching, analyzing, and discussing different commercials. I never paid attention to “good” commercials and “bad” commercials until I began to study them in class. It is amazing how much thought and work goes into creating a commercial, and I never realized how complex the industry was until I began to study it. Many people tend to think that advertisers are all super creative and artistic, but advertising is SO much more than the average person realizes. There are many different careers within the field, and most of the careers do not require any artistic or creative skills. If you are interested in a career in advertising, or if you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend this course. Though it is challenging, it is extremely interesting and it is guaranteed that you will learn a lot!

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The Average Grade Breakdown

I remember being a senior in high school and wondering how different college would be from high school. Often, I wondered how much more difficult it would be, what the classes would be like, and how the grading system would work for each class. It was terrifying to come to college because I did not know what to expect. I was especially nervous about the academics. After the first day of classes my freshman year, I was much more confident and comfortable about how I would perform academically because there were no major shocks or surprises about what homework and tests would look like in my classes.

Based on my own experience in Marketing classes, the college grading system is not much different than in high school. On the first day of class, each professor will hand out a syllabus that breaks down every point and how your grade will be impacted by different assignments and exams. Typically, the grading systems in the classes that I have taken have been divided up based on a points system. For example, many professors score their entire courses out of 1,000 points, and the syllabus breaks down where every point comes from.

Usually there are two exams – a midterm and a final – but some classes may have three or even four exams. I have never taken a class that had more than four total exams. Exams are usually the biggest chunk of your grade. Most exams that I have taken were worth about 15-25% of my total grade. Besides exams, a large amount of points typically come from group/individual projects. Marketing courses tend to be heavy on group work. Many classes have quizzes once or even twice a week. If you are lucky, occasionally a class will give participation points. Participation points can be a huge help to your grade because they are fairly easy points, as long as you have good attendance and are active in class discussions. One other large chunk of your grade usually comes from papers, with most classes assigning at least one paper. Extra credit is pretty rare, but occasionally a professor offers bonus points for an extra assignment or guest lecture attendance.

Very few classes that I have taken have offered any kind of points for homework, but some classes do assign homework and reward you with points if you complete it. Overall, the college grading system is nothing to worry about and it is quite similar to high school. The important thing to remember is to try your hardest on every assignment.

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Marketing Electives: Retail Management

Marketing majors have the option to take different electives that apply toward your degree. There are core Marketing classes that everyone must take, and there are others that you can choose from, which are called “Marketing major electives.” I like having the option of different courses because I can choose to take electives that interest me. Last semester, I chose the marketing elective  “Retail Management” taught by Dr. Scott Powell. I have taken every one of Dr. Powell’s classes because he is an incredibly intelligent Marketing professor and I learn so much from his classes. I highly recommend Dr. Powell’s classes, especially if you are a Marketing major.

Particularly, Retail Management was one of my favorite courses that I took at Grove City College. Even if you are not interested in going into retail or working within marketing in retail, there are principles and topics taught in the class that can be used in any area of marketing and in any career that you choose within marketing. In Retail Management, we learned about how to create a successful in-store experience and studied elements such as store layout, smell, sight, colors, temperature, and music. All of those elements make up either a positive or negative experience in a brick and mortar store.

In the class, there were several group presentations that expanded upon the topics that we covered in class. The presentations were all about the same business (that we were able to choose), but each presentation discussed different areas of retail management. My group chose Bath and Body Works as our business, which we studied the entire semester. Every one of our presentations was an evaluation of Bath and Body Works based on what we learned in class. The different projects and presentations helped me to master the material and understand how to apply the material to the real world. As a Marketing major, it is important that you are comfortable with working in groups and giving presentations. Retail Management helped me to feel more confident with my presentation skills. I highly recommend Retail Management to anyone who is thinking about a career in marketing or management.

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The Value of Projects and Presentations

As a Business major, there is a heavy load on individual and group projects and presentations. Most classes have at least one project and many classes have several projects each semester. As a senior Marketing major, I recently have been reflecting on the different projects that I have worked on while at Grove City College. It is important to be comfortable with giving presentations as a Business major.  Some projects I enjoyed more than others, but every project teaches you something. With every presentation you give, you get better and better at public speaking. Plus, it makes you more confident. From the time when I was a freshman until now I have grown so much in my confidence, especially with public speaking. I used to be very nervous to deliver a presentation to a class, but now that I have done it so much, I feel much more confident and I am not nearly as nervous. My favorite project that I ever worked on (and later presented) was in Risk Management and Insurance, which is taught by Dr. Wayne Biddle. Before the class, I had no idea what risk management was and knew very little about insurance. As the course went on, I learned more and more and by the end of the course I not only mastered the material, but my interest in the subject grew. We had a big project for the class where we had to take photos of “risks” that we found outside of the classroom and then do an analysis of the risks. This project was one of my favorites because it really made me think beyond the scope of the hour and fifteen minute class. The material was so applicable that the project was actually a lot of fun. By the time I finished the project and presented to the class, I felt like I learned the material that I learned in class so much better now that I was able to apply it to real life. Projects and presentations are all about what you make them to be. The more work and effort you put into them, the more you will benefit from them and learn new skills. My suggestion is that you take advantage of projects because there is an opportunity to learn so much.

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Business Capstone Course: Business Policy and Strategy

Business Policy and Strategy is a Capstone Course at Grove City College, which means that all Business majors are required to take the course. Professor Richard Kocur teaches the course and relates real-world concepts from his time in the business world. This course gives an outline of the different strategies that are used within management and teaches how to be an effective manager.

Certain courses are required for all Business majors, such as Principles courses in Finance, Accounting, Management, and Marketing. Business Policy and Strategy brings together topics learned in each Principles class. I enjoyed that students in this course come from different Business majors because it helps to see the business world through many different perspectives. Since my major is Marketing, I tend to only think about the marketing side of a business. This class enables me to see things from the different viewpoints of the different majors within the Business program, such as Finance or Accounting.

There is a lot of group work in the class that helps you to master the material taught in class. Each class, the professor lectures about a topic, and an assignment typically follows the new material. I also enjoyed being a part of several group presentations throughout the semester. These group presentations help you to learn and apply what is taught in class and in class readings. These projects have also increased my confidence with group work, which is an essential aspect of the business world. In addition to a heavy emphasis on group work, this course features some individual assignments and two exams.  Seniors take this course because it ties everything together that is learned in other Business courses at Grove City College. Business Policy and Strategy is definitely a course that should motivate you to look forward to your senior year as a Business major!

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Internship Life at Grove City College

This past summer I was very fortunate enough to keep my internship at a marketing firm called Become Known in downtown Cleveland. I have worked at Become Known for the past two summers doing digital marketing, search engine optimization, and general marketing for new products about to hit the market. I would say getting an internship is an excellent idea, especially for any business major. Not only does it help you gain experience in the work force, but it also helps you focus on what you may what to do in your career. Another great reason for getting an internship while here at Grove City College is that you are able to earn college credit! You may earn up to six credits, which helps with graduation requirements and is definitely worth the time and money.

To have your internship validated by the school you will first find a company where you would like to intern. Next, you will apply to your major’s department. This consists of listing the company name, your job description, the number of hours you anticipate working, and how many academic credits you would like to receive–60 hours of work is the equivalent to one credit. Then finally, you will need to find a professor in your department willing to be your advisor!

Most business majors try for internships in the summer after their sophomore and junior years. At this point, students have some experience and an idea of what they are doing. This way, companies can start training them during an internship so that when they graduate, they are an easy hire at the company because they already have an idea of how things are done.

Business majors are not the only ones that are able to earn college credit while doing an internship. Other majors, such as Mechanical Engineering and Exercise Science, are given opportunities as well through the our on-campus career fair. Both have the option to earn credit by doing a typical internship during the summer, but these majors also have a great opportunity to do a co-op. A co-op is when a student works for a company during a semester for credit, instead of going to school. Both internships and co-ops are great options to earn academic credit, as well as getting a head start on figuring out what you want to do in the work force and gaining experience.

While you should consider an internship, they are not for everyone. Many people here on campus have not had internships and do not feel any pressure at all to get one. Not getting an internship does not make you “behind in life” or “behind on credits.” A validated internship is an optional program that Grove City College offers students to help them get additional credits while they gain experience in the work force and focus in on what they want to do post-graduation.

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Interning at a Mom and Pop Shop

As a Business major, I used to think that the best thing that you could put on your resume is that you interned at a large corporate company. I believe that many college students think that that they need to work at a big company in order to gain quality experience. However, I interned at a small mom and pop shop this summer and I gained wonderful experience and learned many new skills.

The name of the company that I interned at is called At Home Senior Services and it is a non-medical home health care company located in Pittsburgh. It is owned by a husband and a wife, so I really appreciated the closeness of the relationships that I made within the internship. Since I interned at a small company, I was able to express my ideas because they were very open to new ideas. The job was flexible, and I got to test out a lot of different ideas. I loved that I was not given a “to-do list” each day. Instead, I was able to brainstorm my own ideas for marketing the company to both clients and caregivers.

Interning at a small company allows you to be creative, and you also are given one-on-one advice and training from the bosses. Not only did I learn many different marketing skills and ideas, but also I was able to spend a lot of time talking to my boss. This allowed me to gain first-hand business experience from a businessman himself. Overall, I was very pleased with my internship this summer, and it helped me to learn that I would work much better in a smaller, private business than in a corporate setting. I would not have known that if I did not intern. Interning allows you to discover what you like and what you do not like, so that you can get a better idea of what path you want to take after college.

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Internship Business Learnings

This summer, I had my first internship. I interned in marketing at a business in Pittsburgh called At Home Senior Services. At Home Senior Services is a non-medical home health care company. At first, I had no idea what I was going to do and what I was going to learn. I was afraid and nervous because it was a new experience for me. Not only did I learn many practical skills, but I learned many business skills that you cannot learn in a classroom.

An internship is great because you get to apply what you have been learning in college to an actual business. I loved that I was able to be hands-on in the company. I learned how to work with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is one of the most challenging skills that I learned. SEO, in a nutshell, is how you best optimize your website and your posts so that they are successful within search engines. I also was able to participate in many conference calls and other virtual meetings. My boss assigned me projects so that I was able to learn business skills such as telephone skills, negotiation skills, and communication skills.

I learned a lot about how a business operates and all of the different functions of a business. Even though it was a marketing internship, I was able to learn a lot about Human Resourses by interviewing applications on my own. I also learned how to recruit employees and how to best market our business to both employees and clients. I learned a lot of practical business skills that I never could have learned in a classroom. I really enjoyed the hands-on application of the marketing skills that I have learned because it was the first time in my life that I could actually apply what I learned at Grove City College to the business world.